Category: Union Territory

PTI

Srinagar: An overground worker of Lashkar-e-Taiba outfit has been arrested from Sopore area of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said on Tuesday.

“The police in Sopore along with security forces have arrested a terrorist associate linked to proscribed terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT),” a police spokesman said.

He said a joint team of police, Army and CRPF established a checkpoint at Sangrama crossing and arrested Sajad Ahmad Khan, a resident of Uri.

Incriminating material, including arms and ammunitions, have been recovered from his possession, the spokesman added.

Meanwhile, the Army busted a militant hideout in Uri area of Baramulla district on Tuesday.

An Army official said the troops launched a search operation close to the Line of Control at Maidan Nala in Uri sector.

“A cache of arms and ammunition, including three AK 56 rifles and two pistols with magazines, were recovered,” he said.

PTI

Leh: In a significant development, the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council here on Tuesday allotted 103.75 acre of land along the Indus river among 98 families of Stakna village, an official spokesperson said.

The Chairman, LAHDC, Leh Gyal P Wangyal allotted plot numbers to 98 families through a draw of lots in the presence of senior BJP leader and Member Parliament, Ladakh, Jamyang Tsering Namgyal, he said.

Wangyal expressed happiness over the allotment of ‘Srongpey Rantak’ land in favour of Stakna villagers and said the “historic day” fulfilled one of the oldest demands of the locals.

He urged people to make full use of the allotted land by converting it into a green patch in the shortest time.

He assured all support from the Hill Council Leh in providing irrigation and other required facilities in future.

MP Namgyal thanked the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC), Leh for fulfilling the long-pending demand of the locals and said “such remarkable decision initiated by area councillors and land distribution committee will be cherished and remembered by the coming generations of the village as such developments will give our posterity a better and sustainable life”.

He urged people to make the best use of the allotted land and said that projects like the Mission Organic Development Initiative will also prove beneficial for such land.

Highlighting some major achievements of the village, including completion of a bridge over the Indus river, the BJP leader said about Rs 1 crore is proposed under a centrally-sponsored scheme to provide drinking water facilities to the village.

Srinagar: Over 5000 HIV-positive cases have been registered in Jammu and Kashmir, official figures reveal.

According to the statistics J&K State AIDS Control Society (JKSACS) accessed by news agency Kashmir Indepth News Service that over 5000 HIV-positive patients have been registered with the society in Jammu and Kashmir since 1991.

2756 patients are presently receiving treatment in J&K out of which 2,454 patients are from Jammu and 302 patients in Kashmir, the figures reveal.
Figures say that 365 were reported HIV+ve in 2018 and 187 were detected with the virus till September last year.

The data further reveals that over 1060 deaths have happened due to the virus in Jammu and Kashmir.

An official at JKSACS said that there are many hidden cases which go unreported as people show reluctance to come forward fearing the societal backlash and stigma attached to the disease.

Appealing people to come forward for the tests, the doctor said that with the detection of virus in the early stage, a patient can be prescribed proper treatment.

The doctor said that awareness plays an important role in the prevention of the virus.
However, he admitted that the awareness is a low key affair in the J&K as compared to other regions in the country.

Another official asserted that the drug menace has attained an alarming proportion in the new Union Territory.

“While the use of drugs is a major reason for HIV transmission mainly in Kashmir valley, female sex workers, truckers and labourers are the main transmitters in Jammu region. The other major causes of being affected by the virus are blood transfusion, unprotected sex and multi-person usage of needles,” the official added. (KINS)

Srinagar: Renowned Urologist and Head of department Urology SKIMS, Dr Saleem Wani, took the lead for donating his plasma after recovering from COVID 19.

Speaking to KNS, Dr Wani said that he happily donated the plasma for the COVID 19 patient at SKIMS after he was approached by the Department of Medicine of the Institute

“I recently recovered from COVID 19. I have resumed my duties. I happily accepted the offer of Medicine department to save the lives of people who are suffering from COVID 19. That is what every COVID 19 recovered patient should do. Those who have recovered should donate and come forward to donate their plasma,” he said.

When asked whether there are any criteria for qualifying as a donor of Plasma, he said, “The donor should have recovered and can donate plasma after 14 days of recovery. He should be of more than 50 kgs of weight and should not be older than to 60 to 65 years of age besides the ladies who have delivered baby cannot donate. He should not have morbidities like diabetes, hypertension or other chronic diseases.”

He also advocated for setting up Plasma bank in J&K.

“In fact we are now into the crises from the last six months, now we should have set up a plasma bank and Aphaeresis machine are made available in all major health centres,” he said.

Dr Wani requested the recovered COVID 19 persons to come forward and donate.

“Recovered person can donate his plasma after every four weeks. There is nothing to fear. I attend my work routinely,” he told KNS.

Srinagar, July 07: Taking on to the micro blogging twitter, police said that “per the family sources of SAS Geelani the letter is fake and not issued by him. This is published from Pakistan.

As per the family sources of SAS Geelani the letter is fake and not issued by him. This is published from Pakistan. Police is taking action against those who are circulating it through different social media platforms to instigate violence and create L&O problems. @JmuKmrPolice pic.twitter.com/BafD7D8usq

— Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) July 7, 2020

Police is taking action against those who are circulating it through different social media platforms to instigate violence and create L&O problems”.

A 2-hour phone call between Ajit Doval & Chinese Foreign Minister plays a crucial role in PLA finally removing tents and shifting from Galwan clash site, vehicles move back in other areas too.

India Today

India and China have started showing first signs of disengagement at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh where the situation has been volatile for over two months.

The removal of Chinese tents in Galwan Valley followed a two-hour telephonic conversation on Sunday between the Special Representatives of India and China on the Boundary Question.

India’s National Security Advisor (NSA), Ajit Doval, and China’s State Councillor and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Wang Yi, spoke to each other, two days after Prime Minster Narendra Modi’s visit to operational areas in Ladakh.

Officials observing the situation on the ground call it a “piecemeal de-escalation” and a first step taken to defuse the situation.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has removed tents and structures at Patrol Point 14 in Galwan Valley of Eastern Ladakh where the bloody clash took place on June 15 but the retreat has to be verified on the ground, government sources said.

“Removal of tents is visible but whether they have pulled back needs to be verified on ground,” said an official. The talks at the NSA’s have had a big impact on the two armies. After three rounds of top military commanders talks, a need was felt to escalate the dialogue to reach a consensus for a resolution, government sources said. In Galwan, 20 Indian soldiers, including a commanding officer, were killed in the ugly clashes. China has not revealed its casualties, though reports from the ground indicated they faced losses.

The disengagement has started as per terms agreed in the Corps Commanders meeting on June 30. “No specific distance of the pull back can be confirmed as it needs to be verified,” said another official.

India Today TV has reported earlier that China has claimed in meetings that it is 800 metres away from its claim line in Galwan. Sources said PLA has been seen removing tents, and vehicles have also moved back in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra. After the previous meeting at the Corp Commanders level, it was decided that a 72-hour period will be used for verification on the ground once the field commanders have decided to move back in their discussions.

“Till now both sides are sticking to the plans discussed for disengagement in a phased manner,” said an official.

WHAT LIES AHEAD

This is only the first phase and other friction areas will be taken up gradually by field commanders. Sources said while tents have been removed and some thinning of troops was visible, it’s not that soldiers at the point have left the area in Galwan. There is still a presence of troops from both sides close to the point of confrontation but the numbers are less compared to before.

While some disengagement has happened in Galwan, Hot Springs and Gogra, the situation at Pangong Lake hasn’t changed much. At Pangong Lake, another flashpoint where clashes have taken place in the last two months, there are reports of Chinese removing some structures but there is no sign of moving back or de-escalation yet.

At Pangong Lake, a 2-3 km retreat is not acceptable to India and could remain a sticking point. This would mean a retreat from Finger 4, that’s always been under Indian control. India claims LAC at finger 8.

The Chinese are currently camping at Finger 4 and have set up bunkers and observation posts between Finger 4 and Finger 8, a distance of about 8 km. More meetings are expected both at the military and the diplomatic level, to arrive at mutually agreeable solution and to ensure peace and tranquillity along the LAC as per bilateral agreements and protocols.

THE DOVAL FACTOR

The Special Representatives mechanism was activated on Sunday. The thrust of the phone call between Doval and Wang was to ensure “earliest and complete disengagement” of the troops along the LAC and “de-escalation” to ensure “restoration of peace and tranquillity”.

The thrust also was to work together to avoid any future incident and to continue conversations to ensure full and enduring restoration of peace and tranquillity in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols. Both sides had a “frank and indepth exchange of views” on the recent developments in the Western Sector of the India-China border areas, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement on Monday.

The Indian side focused on the specifics of the conversation and the way forward.

“The two Special Representatives agreed that the diplomatic and military officials of the two sides should continue their discussions, including under the framework of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China border affairs (WMCC), and implement the understandings reached in a timely manner to achieve the above outcomes”, said the MEA statement.

The two Special Representatives agreed that both sides should take “guidance” from the consensus reached by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the two informal summits of Wuhan (2018) and Mamallapurm (2019) when both leaders agreed to not allow “differences” to become “disputes”.

The two sides agreed to adhere to the agreements signed by the two countries and making joint efforts to ease the situation in the border areas.

Both sides agreed to strengthen diplomatic communication through Special Representatives and WMCC talks without interruption.

THE CHINESE VIEW

While the Indian side hit a conciliatory note, the Chinese statement added its stated position on Galwan.

“The right and wrong of what recently happened at the Galwan Valley in the western sector of the China-India boundary is very clear. China will continue firmly safeguarding our territorial sovereignty as well as peace and tranquility in the border areas”, a Chinese foreign ministry statement said.

According to the statement, Wang Yi stressed that both sides should adhere to the “strategic assessment” instead of “posing threats”.

“We hope India can work with China to guide public opinion in the right direction, keep and advance bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and avoid amplifying the differences and complicating matters so as to jointly uphold the big picture of China-India relations”, the Chinese statement said.

(With inputs from India Today and Manjeet Singh Negi in Leh)

The agency has stated in the charge-sheet, filed under terror laws, that not only had Davinder Singh provided safe passage twice to terrorists in his car; but had also been in touch with an assistant in the Pakistan high commission in Delhi, identified as Shafqat, for seeking information on sensitive military establishments in Kashmir, officials said on condition of anonymity.

Six months after he was arrested while providing safe passage to Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) terrorists, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed a charge-sheet against suspended deputy superintendent of Jammu and Kashmir police Davinder Singh for conspiring with terror groups and Pakistani officials for subversive activities in the valley, officials said.

The agency has stated in the charge-sheet, filed under terror laws, that not only had Davinder Singh provided safe passage twice to terrorists in his car; but had also been in touch with an assistant in the Pakistan high commission in Delhi, identified as Shafqat, for seeking information on sensitive military establishments in Kashmir, officials said on condition of anonymity.

Shafqat was repatriated to Pakistan last month along with 50% of staff at the mission as a part of an Indian decision to reduce its strength . He has not been named as an accused but figures in the charge-sheet for being in touch with Davinder Singh and terrorists through WhatsApp and other platforms.

“Devender Singh was in touch with certain officials of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi through secure social media platforms. Investigation revealed that he was being groomed by Pakistani officials for obtaining sensitive information,” said Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Sonia Narang, NIA Spokesperson in a statement.

Apart from Singh, the charge sheet named Hizbul’s commander in Shopian and Qazigund Syed Naveed Mushtaq, alias Naveed Babu; and other HM terrorists Irfan Shafi Mir, Rafi Ahmad Rather, Tanvir Ahmed Mir and Babu’s brother Syed Irfan Ahmad.

Singh was arrested by J&K police on January 11 this year at a check-post in Qazigund while he was taking Babu, Irfan and Rafi in his i20 car.

The agency stated in its charge-sheet that Davinder Singh had provided safe passage to Babu and his brother in February 2019 as well in his Scorpio car. The agency recovered an AK-47 rifle from his car, a Chinese pistol from his house along with ammunition and some phones which he used for communication with terrorists and Pakistan high commission officials.

Sonia Narang said in the statement: “Investigation has revealed that Pakistan based leadership of Hizb-ulMujahideen (HM) namely Syed Salahudin, Amir Khan (Deputy Chief), Khursheed Alam (Operational Head), Nazar Mehmood (Financial Head) and others along with Pakistani establishment is extending support to the cadre and commanders of outfit in Jammu & Kashmir.”

The agency said that Irfan Shafi Mir was a key person in the case as he had been to Pakistan four times since 2016 and met Syed Salahuddin.

“Irfan Shafi not only met HM leadership in Pakistan but also met Umar Cheema, Ahshan Chaudhary, Sohail Abbas and others of ISI {Inter-Services Intelligence} of Pakistan and he was tasked to identify and activate the new hawala channels for transfer of money for sustaining terrorist activities in Kashmir valley. Investigation also revealed that certain officials of Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi were in constant touch with Irfan Shafi and he was provided with funds to organize seminars in J&K to mobilize the masses against the Indian government. He also used to receive instructions and money from Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi and also facilitated the visa applications for number of Kashmiris for their visit to Pakistan,” Narang added.

She added that Naveed Babu, a former constable of J&K police who deserted the force, was responsible for various killings in which labourers and truck drivers were killed after the abrogation of Article 370 in J&K in August last year that divested the state of its special status.

“Naveed Babu had made efforts to recruit gullible Muslims youths to join cadre of HM. He was also receiving funds from LoC traders and accused Tanveer Ahmad Wani (who was an Ex-President of LoC traders Association), was providing him funds with the help of other traders based in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK). Investigation has also revealed that the accused were obtaining weapons and ammunitions from across the border with the help of arms smugglers and accused Devender Singh,” Narang added.

With inputs from HT

Er.Nazir yatoo urge tourists, yatris to visit Kashmir and enjoy hospitality of Kashmiris

Srinagar: Contrary to what politicians outside the Jammu and Kashmir may feel, senior Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and Ex VC JK Cements, Er Nazir Ahmad Yatoo on Monday said that the ongoing Amarnath yatra is setting an example of communal harmony between local Muslims and Hindu pilgrims.

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In a statement issued here, senior PDP leader said that, “From decades, the Yatra here in Kashmir is running very peacefully and we Kashmiris are doing our best to serve them. There is nothing to worry about here.”

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Hundreds of people from various states of India are putting up in Kashmir. If the situation is not conducive in Kashmir then how these people come here? Whenever something bad happens, Kashmiris put their lives in danger and are giving space to them in their homes.

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“Amarnath yatris are our guests. They could do their pilgrimage without any security,” Over a thousands of local Kashmiris are engaged in their pilgrimage, providing a range of services and security to the pilgrims, Yatoo said.

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“From centuries, Kashmiris have been safeguarding and providing exemplary hospitality and safety to tourists and yatris as we have been taught hospitality, humanity and safeguarding the rights of guests by our great ancestors. Tourists and yatris, who intend to visit Kashmir, are always welcome,” said Er Nazir Yatoo.

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Extending the wholehearted welcome to the yatris, Er Nazir Yatoo said that, “Our religion Islam and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) have taught us to be kind with our guests and serve them and safeguard their rights at every cost.”

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Yatoo said that, the tourism sector in Kashmir has been worst hit by the ongoing unrest and shutdown and all hotels, guest houses and house boats are empty.

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“Our history bears a witness that we have always respected, safeguarded and served our guests during hardest of times and worst calamities and have never shun this attribute of our life,” he said, adding that, this is also embedded in our Kashmiri culture and ethics and that is why our hospitality has been exemplary throughout the history.

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Er Nazir Yatoo said everyone from the world including India is most welcome to Kashmir. “We (Kashmiris) invite them to come to Kashmir and enjoy our hospitality and the beauty of paradise on earth”.

“We patiently wait for the yatra. It provides Kashmiris with a chance to get Shabab (blessing) by serving people, he added.

Srinagar: Nearly four months after the first COVID-19 case was detected in Jammu and Kashmir, at least four lakh people have been tested in the Union Territory since March 09, 2020, officials told news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).

A senior official told KNO that 3,99,385 people across Jammu and Kashmir have been tested for the COVID-19 in J&K during the past four months.

“Of them, only 2.1 per cent among them were tested positive till Sunday evening,” he said.

He said 390956 samples have been tested as negative till July 05 (Sunday). “Only 2.1 per cent people out of the nearly 4 lakh tested so far have been detected positive in last four months,” he said, adding that the figure available with them is excluding the tests conducted at private clinics in J&K.

Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Samir Mattoo said that nearly one lakh eighty thousand people have been tested so far for the COVID-19 in the Valley.

“Nearly six thousand among them tested positive,” he said. An official said the health department has intensified the sampling and testing over the past two days in the Valley.

Pertinently, Divisional Commissioner, Kashmir, P K Pole in an exclusive chat with KNO had stated that “the four districts including Shopian, Baramulla, Srinagar and Kulgam are witnessing 82 per cent to 85 per cent COVID positive cases followed by deaths.”—(KNO)

Says only 20 % beds out of 11, 000 available are occupied in Valley hospitals

Srinagar: Amid rise in the number COVID-19 cases in Jammu & Kashmir, the government on Monday said that sufficient arrangements have been made to deal with the growing cases in the Valley.

Talking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr. Samir Mattoo said sufficient arrangements have been made in the Valley to tackle the mounting number of COVID cases in Kashmir.

“The department has made 11,000 beds available to tackle these cases,” he said.

Dr. Mattoo further stated that at present, only 20 per cent beds are occupied in the Valley hospitals.

He told KNO that there was no need to increase the number of COVID dedicated hospitals in the Valley at present as the department has got enough facilities.

Pertinently, the Kashmir Valley is witnessing a surge in the number of cases with the Director Health Services Kashmir informing that nearly 6,000 cases out of 8429 detected till Sunday evening belong to Kashmir division only.

The number of cases started increasing soon after the authorities ordered relaxation in the three-month-long lockdown. The lockdown was announced in the month of March with an aim to prevent the deadly Coronavirus from spreading—(KNO)